TF-82 Arrow
Primary starfighter of the Terran Alliance, the Arrow family of starfighters are an interceptor that prioritizes speed and mobility over firepower. Toward that end most are equipped with micro phase cannons and a number of missiles intended for use against other fighters. It was the most produced human fighter design since the TF-27 and subsequent design changes and upgrades have kept it in service. During the early Expeditionary Wars a lack of production capacity meant that only a single design could be selected for service. Despite its flaws the Arrow was already in use with most branches of the military making it the natural choice. While capable of carrying nuclear warheads the Arrow is ill-suited for deployment of Torpedoes. This hasn't stopped a number of modifications to counter this deficiency. A common modification has been the addition of an underside hardpoint that could carry a single torpedo or a drop tank. This has a tendency to alter the center of mass and flight profile but experienced pilots could more than handle this issue. With the decreasing role of starfighters in ship to ship engagement during the Expeditionary Wars few powers put serious effort into the design of dedicated Attack Bombers. Other than upgrades there was little need for an outright replacement of the Arrow. Related Designs & Upgrades 'TF-83' The TF-83 is a rebuild and internal redesign of the older TF-82 Arrow. Aside from the ability to swap out engines and weapons as with other models the two designs were far different internally. More efficient systems allowed room for additional fuel reserves and missiles. Externally they can be differentiated by their smoother hull profile and pair of small mass drivers. History With continual updates and improved versions of the TF-82 entering service during the Expeditionary Wars engineers found themselves increasingly hampered by the needs for backwards compatibility. Expeditionary and colony fleets could be deployed for years at a time, even decades, and the need to maintain commonality among the supply chain drove otherwise competitive Terran design teams mad. As higher FTL speeds became available towards the end of the Expeditionary Wars supply lines became shorter and replacements for older designs began to be seriously looked at. It wasn't until after the Terran civil war the new craft were fielded. During the Faction Wars shortages of available parts and fighters resulted in engineers finding any way possible to attach newer components to older TF-82's and vice versa, even when not recommended. Because of this most TF-82's still in use with mercenaries or other organisations have only a minimal reduction in performance in space when compared to the newer craft. TF-83's when upgraded to the TF-83S Atmospheric configuration are far more capable than any of its predecessors. 'TF-83-S Atmospheric Arrow' A result of the TF-83 program was a number of modifications that would improve the performance of the Arrow within planetary atmospheres. While the basic Arrow might be able to cut through the air, it relied heavily on engine power and repulsors to maneuver. As a result it suffered against other stafighters with control surfaces, especially the high performance Z5L. It was noted that good pilots forced to use the Dominion's Z5A with its air breathing engines could out turn older Arrows. In light of its embarrassing performance, improvements were made to the newer TF-83 line. The most striking of these are a pair of forward swept wings and more streamlined hull. While most TF-83's used in space suffered the unfortunate fate of having to share parts with its older cousin, the S models were usually held in reserve. With its wings and modified weapon mounts less parts from the TF-83-S were interchangeable with the older fighters. This ensured comparatively pampered treatment and a reputation as hangar queens. Despite these marks against it, or perhaps because of it, the S model has remained one of the highest performance Terran Starfighters. 'TF-82-Tb / TF-83-Tb ' The appearance of Shield Piercing Torpedoes in the Faction Wars combined with the Republic's clever modifications quickly made starfighters relevant again. Losing much of their industrial capacity in the Second Faction War the Terran military initially had little to rebuild with. Their solution to the starfighter gap was to borrow torpedo hardpoints from the Republic's Type-4 Attack Bomber. These were fitted to any available TF-82's and TF-83's, and by 3603 were seeing widespread use. As with most designs of the period these eventually fell into the hands of pirates and other governments in the time since, where they've been a valued addition to most fleets. A number of these fighters were recovered by Sonia Reynard's unit in the Smuggler's Run campaign and used for SP Torpedo support. Behind the scenes The Arrow was inspired by the Star Wars A-wing, and took it's name from the rather obvious similarity to an arrowhead. Contrary to some opinions it's name and design were not influenced in any way by the Avro Arrow or Jedi Starfighter. Category:Ships Category:Starfighters Category:Terran Alliance